I’ll Be Gone In the Dark, the excellent true crime docuseries based on Michelle McNamara‘s book, has one more story to tell. HBO will air an additional special episode of the series, an episode that promises to bring “shocking new revelations to light.” McNamara had been doing extensive research into a serial killer known as the Golden State Killer for years, and was in the process of writing a book on the subject when she died of an accidental overdose in 2016. Her book was finished using her notes, and published in 2018. In 2020, the Golden State Killer was finally caught, and revealed to be former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo. Watch the trailer for the special episode below.

I’ll Be Gone In the Dark Special Episode Trailer

I watch a lot of true crime, so I am qualified to tell you that a lot of true crime is bad. The majority of it follows one formula over and over again, and while that can be entertaining – in a ghoulish sort of way – it’s not exactly good. But every now and then, a true crime story will come along that changes things up, and shows how much better the genre can be. I’ll Be Gone In the Dark is a perfect example of this. Directors Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Myles Kane, and Josh Koury, took Michelle McNamara’s excellent book and worked it into an excellent docuseries. What makes I’ll Be Gone In the Dark so fascinating is that it doesn’t just focus on a killer and his crimes – it tells a far-reaching story that includes McNamara herself (who died while writing the book), and the survivors who want their stories to be told.

I’ll Be Gone In the Dark aired in 2020, but now HBO has an additional episode on the way. Directed by Elizbeth Wolff, this episode goes further into the story. Here’s a synopsis:

In the summer of 2020, former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo, also known as the Golden State Killer, was sentenced to life in prison for the 50 home-invasion rapes and 13 murders he committed during his reign of terror in the 1970s and ‘80s in California. Many of the survivors and victim’s family members featured in the series reconvened for an emotional public sentencing hearing in August 2020, where they were given the opportunity to speak about their long-held pain and anger through victim impact statements, facing their attacker directly for the first time and bringing a sense of justice and resolution to the case.

Writer Michelle McNamara was key to keeping the Golden State Killer case alive and in the public eye for so many years, but passed away in 2016, before she could witness the impact of her relentless determination in seeking justice for the victims. This powerful special closes one chapter in McNamara’s investigative work on cold cases, and brings to light another, highlighting the start of McNamara’s life-long fascination with unsolved murders. The rape and murder of Kathy Lombardo in 1984 in McNamara’s hometown of Oak Park, Illinois and the inability of authorities to solve the case sparked McNamara’s interest in investigating cold cases, ultimately leading her to an obsessive search for the Golden State Killer. McNamara was just 14 years old when Kathy Lombardo was killed not far from where she lived, and this tragic, as yet unsolved crime would change the course of McNamara’s life.

This episode brings shocking new revelations to light in the Lombardo case and features the late McNamara’s own research into the rape and murder, which led to her return to Oak Park in 2013 to investigate it on the ground, quickly finding inconsistencies in the police work. Featuring the late McNamara’s own archival research and voice recordings, and interviews with residents of present-day Oak Park, this episode highlights the trauma that persists when a crime goes unsolved, with McNamara’s work standing as a stark reminder of the importance of citizen sleuths who remain dogged in their search for the truth.

The new episode will debut on Monday, June 21 on HBO, and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

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